In the Eyes of Normalcy
by Scarlet Hanson
Summary: Ludwig, Feliciano, Alfred, and Francis are actors. Now that their show is over, they must attend a public school in Northwest Indiana. Little do they know, a new kind of drama awaits them there... OCs, Human names used.
1. Chapter 1

Germany loaded his pistol with his last bullets, taking a deep breath as he sat crouched behind a tree. He looked over at Italy, whose wounds had overcome the small boy and led him into everlasting peace. Germany gave the boy a small smile, stroking his cheek with the back of his fingers. The sound of gunshots filled the air as Germany's eyes filled with tears.

"I remember the promise we made," Germany told Italy, who would never hear his words. "And I shall uphold them, my dearest and only friend." He then stood up and darted out from behind the trees, firing a few shots at his enemy.

"Shit!" America cried, ducking behind a sandbag. "The guy's gone insane!" He pulled out his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Got a good view on him?"

"_Oui_," the person on the other end said. France was perched in a nearby sniper tower, with his rifle peering out the window. He took a long drag on his cigarette, then smashed it beneath his boot before taking aim. "You want me to take him out?"

"Yes, please, before he fills me with lead!"

A single shot rang out in the now-still air of the night. Germany dropped his pistol, his body falling right after. He was dead before he hit the ground.

France smirked. "Got him."

"And… cut! Excellent work, people!"

Ludwig rose from the ground. "Gah, that fall actually hurt me a bit."

Alfred laughed. "It was convincing, man!"

"Doitsu~" Feliciano bounded over to Ludwig from behind the tree, hugging him once he got close enough.

Francis, descending from the tower, chuckled. "Little Feli is quite fond of you, _non?_"

Ludwig sighed, gently pushing the boy off him. Despite the air of annoyance, Ludwig was also fond of Feliciano. The boy had, at first, annoyed him. But after years of being on set with Feliciano, Ludwig had become close friends with him.

"Dudes, it's hard to believe it's over…" Alfred sighed.

Ludwig nodded. "Ja… this is all I've known for 6 years now. It will be strange not being here."

Feliciano hugged Ludwig again. "Promise me you'll keep in touch!"

"Ja, ja, of course I will!" Ludwig tried once more to pry the boy off him, while Francis and Alfred snickered.

Then Ludwig's phone rang, making Feliciano jump off him long enough for Ludwig to answer the call.

"Hello?" he said into the phone. "Ja, it's me… I'm well, and you?... Yes, I remember… What? You can't be serious…" He then took the phone call away from the others just when they were getting interested in the subject.

"What do you think that's all about?" Alfred asked. Francis just shrugged and Feliciano let out a content sigh.

Ludwig returned a few moments later, stress tightening his facial muscles. "Well, we won't be parting as soon as expected…"

"Really? Ve, that's great news!"

"Did your manager get us a new gig or something, dude?"

"No… Our parents only agreed to let us do this show on a certain condition."

Francis chimed in, "Oui, on the condition that after the show was over, we… would…" He trailed off as a realization hit him.

"Don't tell me…" Alfred began, unable to finish the sentence.

"Ja… we're going back to school."

There was a long silence before anyone spoke again. Then Feliciano added, "Ve, it's not so bad!"

"Yeah," Alfred agreed. "I've seen some NICE babes around here."

"We won't be going here," Ludwig explained.

"Then where will we go?" Francis asked.

Ludwig sighed. "_That's_ the bad part. In order to protect our identities, we have to go where our ratings are lowest."

"…And that is?"

"Northwest Indiana."

Alfred fell to his knees melodramatically. "NOOOO! Why, God, why? THINK OF THE BABES!"

Ludwig sighed. "Yell all you want, it's a done deal. We leave in a week, then school starts a week after."

The four looked at one another, unsure of this plan. They did not want to do it, but they knew in their hearts that they must.

Meanwhile, in the Lakeside High School parking lot.

"Again!" Sletto cried, causing all the kids to sigh.

"He's running us to death, Doitsu!" Nikki cried to her friend, Cassie. Nikki held her clarinet at her side, bent over and panting.

Cassie gave her a smile. "Come on now, it's only 11! We still have until 4, so you should cheer up. Being pessimistic won't help any."

Nikki glared at her friend. "You're one to talk."

Cassie laughed. "True, true."

"Hey, hoes!" Their friend Ally yelled to them. "It's hotter than a pregnant woman in July out here!"

Cassie stretched her muscles. "Yeah, well I've been dancing, so I don't want to hear crap from you guys."

"Band, ten hut—!"

"SET!" the entire marching band and color guard shouted, standing at attention.

"Take it from the top!" Sletto, the band director, instructed.

Cassie gave Nikki and Ally a small grin. "Back to square one, then."

They had no idea what was about to happen, or, rather, who was going to attend their school in the coming weeks.

**A/N: There you have it! The prologue for my newest story, which shall be written weekly over the course of this school year~ **


	2. Chapter 2

Ludwig woke to the sound of the alarm buzzing in his ear. Punctual as only he could be, he woke up immediately, sitting up and stretching before standing. He grabbed a towel from the linen closet and walked towards the bathroom. Checking himself in the mirror quickly, he turned on the shower. He woke Feliciano as he waited for the water to heat up. Feliciano was unwilling to rise, as usual, but promised he'd get up and get breakfast ready. When Ludwig got out of the shower and dressed, he was surprised to find that Feliciano had lived up to his promise.

As Ludwig ate, Feliciano hopped into the shower. After he got out, Ludwig was done eating, so he put his plate in the sink and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Aren't you excited, Doitsu? We're going to school today!" Feliciano sighed behind him, making Ludwig jump at the unseen visitor.

He spit out his toothpaste. "Yeah, I suppose." He began to scrub his teeth once more and Feliciano kept speaking to him.

"I'm excited! Maybe we'll meet some cute girls, and maybe go on dates, and be normal!"

Ludwig let out a short "Hmph!" and spit out his toothpaste again. He rinsed out his mouth and spoke to Feliciano once more. "I don't see what's so great about being normal."

Feliciano could tell his words put his friend in a sour mood, so he let out a small "ve" and strolled back into the kitchen to eat.

There were close to no more words exchanged between the two in the small apartment. It was a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment, complete with a kitchen and family room. Ludwig was unused to the small space, but didn't mind, so long as the place stayed clean.

As they walked out the front door at 6:25, Feliciano spoke once more. "Ve, do you think it will be hard?"

"School?" Ludwig locked their door. "No. Our tutors were probably way stricter on us that this school will be. It's _public_, after all."

Feliciano followed Ludwig to their car, sighing once more. "Well, I hope so! I hope high school is fun, just like it is in the movies!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes, knowing that probably wasn't the case, but just opened the driver's side door to his car and got in.

The two got to the school at 6:30 exactly, pulling into the senior parking lot by the music side of the school.

The school was any normal suburban high school, with small trees lining the immaculate white sidewalks. The grass was almost too green, as though fake, and the building itself was of tan brick. If you drove down the front entrance street to the school, you would have a long stretch with two intersections. The first you would approach would be a four way stop, the left turning into the senior parking lot, the right going to the junior and faculty parking lot, and straight ahead being the front entrance to the school. If you continued down the street, the second intersection would be a stranger kind. You could turn left, where you would find yourself at the front parking spaces of the senior lot, or you could go diagonally to the right, where there would be a circle road. This circle loops around the three main entrances to the school, the front entrance being directly perpendicular to the aforementioned road. To the right of the circle would be the athletic entrance, and to the left would be the auditorium entrance. This circle would go back into the main road, so the entire road is quite like a cul-de-sac, with a few more intersections.

Ludwig, being a senior, parked in his respective lot, his car being one of three in the lot. He was quite early, as school started at 7:25. He looked at the other two cars, which were further away from his car but parked next to each other. One was a silver Chevrolet Cobalt, a practical-looking car. The other was a lime green Ford Fiesta, which looked much sportier than the first. Ludwig looked back at his own white Volkswagen, running a hand along it.

Feliciano stepped out of the car, staring at the school instead. He gazed at the tan bricks, and the black etched-out letters above the main entrance that spelled "Lakeside High School". He looked at the flagpole which stood in the middle of the circle road which was described earlier, the American flag flying high as ever.

"Ve!" he burst out in excitement. "Look, look! The building is so pretty, Ludwig!"

Ludwig looked at the school and shrugged. "I guess," he murmured, grabbing his back pack out of his back seat and throwing it on his shoulder. His outfit for the day was simple: a plain black tee shirt, a little tight, and faded blue jeans. His hair hung in his face, not being gelled back as it was for his career. Feliciano took a trendier look, wearing a V-neck white cotton shirt with an abstract black, green, and red pattern and tighter-fitting grey jeans. A black and red scarf lay around his neck, as Feliciano took much care in his appearance. Ludwig liked comfort; Feliciano loved style.

As the two moved to step up onto the sidewalk from the road, Feliciano tripped on the sidewalk. He regained his footing, but had dropped his new notebooks in the process.

Ludwig sighed. "Clumsy as ever," he said, almost smiling, and stooped over to pick up the notebooks. He saw a pair of feet walk over, toenails painted a pale blue and donning a pair of white shoes that were a mix between sandals and heels. The heel itself, a wedge, was the color of bamboo, the three thick intertwining straps covering the foot being white. The ankles were covered by skinny jeans, and then the girl whose feet were before Ludwig stooped down to help pick up the fallen notebooks. She was a skinny girl, tall. Her limbs were long and slender, her body clad in skinny jeans and a pink plaid shirt. Then, Ludwig saw her face. It was not a gorgeous face like he'd seen in Hollywood; it was plainer. Cute. She had German features: a long, straight nose, small, full lips, and dark blue eyes that focused themselves on the task at hand. Her hair was dark blonde, long, falling down her back. She picked up two or three notebooks and handed them to Ludwig with a small smile.

"Here," she said, making eye contact for a brief moment before looking away with a blush.

Ludwig took the notebooks from her, staring at her face. Something about her captivated him. What was it? He had seen much better in his career… why was this girl so fascinating to him?

Could it be because she was totally and completely normal?

The girl stood up and Ludwig soon followed. She nodded at him and said in an almost teasing tone to Feliciano, "Be more careful next time, ok?" before walking away with her friend, which Ludwig had not noticed was standing there.

But Feliciano had noticed. Oh, had he noticed her! She stood by the blonde, her weight resting on one leg as she crossed her arms in boredom. She continued to look down at her friend as she picked up the notebooks, and Feliciano took this time to study the girl.

The girl was definitely punk. Her auburn hair was short and wavy, the back of it tied into a small, fluffy ponytail while the bangs stayed in her face. The girl was wearing dark grey skinny jeans, black Converse, and a baggy My Chemical Romance hoodie. A messenger bag hung at her side. Feliciano also noticed she was a few inches shorter than him. He then looked at her face, and took in a sharp, soft breath.

She had open, round, piercing blue eyes, only a shade darker than Ludwig's. Her eyes were rimmed with green eyeliner, highlighting the color or her eyes. She had a short, cute nose (Feliciano blushed as he noticed this), and small dark pink lips. Her face radiated an innocent beauty, a shy cuteness. Feliciano would have gone over and asked her name, but then her blonde friend stood up and addressed him, reminding him to be more careful. He laughed to himself, thinking that it should have been Ludwig to say that. The girl with the dark hair then met eyes with Feliciano for a moment, her cheeks tinting with a pink blush before she averted her eyes and walked on with her friend, leaving Feliciano and Ludwig staring after them.

"So beautiful," they sighed in unison. Ludwig's was more of a statement, as if he was in awe of the girl he had just seen. Feliciano's was more dreamy, airy. They both then looked at each other and Feliciano smiled.

"I meant the blonde," Ludwig said.

"I meant the brunette," Feliciano added with a smile.

Ludwig nodded and looked towards the school building. "Good."

The two continued their walk to the front door, walking into the school for the second time ever, ready to face the perils of public high school.

Before them in the main entrance was a rather tall clock tower, which towered up into the second-story ceiling. Display cases flanked the clock tower, showing the pride of the school, such as the Latin club pictures, Robodogs trophies, and top 10 scholars of the senior class.

The floor was marble, off white with flecks of other neutral colors. The clock tower and the flanking settings, on top of which sat the display cases, were made of a pale orange and brown brick, matching the marble nicely. Ludwig led Feliciano to the right, towards the athletic department, and he saw that if he continued straight, he'd be heading towards the gymnasium and other athletic rooms. However, if he went left at the turn before him, the cafeteria laid just behind the clock tower. He turned left, and he and Feliciano were surprised to see the two girls from before sitting at a round, eight-seating lunch table just next to a brick pillar, also next to the hallway towards the senior locker bay.

Feliciano tugged on Ludwig's sleeve. "Ludwig! Ve! Let's go talk to them!"

"No," Ludwig said, gently pulling his arm away. "We don't have time for this."

Feliciano looked disheartened, but didn't argue.

The two walked on to the guidance office to retrieve their schedules.

"Cassie! Did you _see_ those two really hot guys?"

"Yes, Nikki, I saw them. I definitely saw the blonde."

"They look just like…."

"They do. Must be some weird coincidence, huh?"

"Yeah…" Nikki, the auburn-haired girl, paused. "Do you think we'll see them again?"  
>"They go to our school, so yeah, we're bound to run into them from time to time."<p>

Nikki rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

Cassie twirled a piece of her long, dark blonde hair around her finger and bit her lip. "I certainly hope so."

Francis, however, was _not_ having a good morning.

He had tried to wake Alfred several times before he was successful, and only because he had leaned down and murmured a seductive "honhon~" into Alfred's ear. Alfred was slow to get ready as Francis made breakfast, which Alfred ate like a pig.

"Slow down, _mon fraire_!" Francis exclaimed, to no avail.

Then the two got dressed for the day, Alfred going with a white tee-shirt, faded blue jeans, and black Etnies. Francis, however, decided to wear a lilac v-neck shirt with a blue scarf and slightly tight white jeans.

Alfred also drove them to school, and Francis then learned that Alfred was a terrible driver. As Alfred parked the car, Francis groaned, "Why am I friends with you?"

Alfred looked over cluelessly. "You say something, dude?"

Francis facepalmed. "No."

They got out of the car and walked up to the building, and Francis caught a glimpse of a girl that he deemed to be promising. She had long, medium blonde wavy hair. Thick; that was good. She was curvy, voluptuous. Her waist was small, tapering into her wide hips. Francis then studied his favorite part of the female anatomy: the ass. Hers was rather large, but he preferred them that way. It was perky, firm. It was well taken care of, and looked great in the girl's jean Capri's. She was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt that clung to her curves nicely, the arms and upper portion of the shirt being made of lace. She strutted to the main entrance in her tall, black heels, her posture suggesting she was used to heels.

Francis decided then: He would have her.

He rushed suavely to catch up to her, leaving Alfred a few steps behind. He opened the door for her, giving her a wink.

"For the beautiful lady before me," he murmured seductively, bringing a smile to her face. She didn't blush, to his surprise. She took compliments well.

"Why, thank you!" she said brightly, walking into the building. He followed right behind her, having seen her face. She had a small, straight nose and very open blue eyes. She had just the right kind of makeup on; subtle, highlighting her best features. Her lips were full and light pink and utterly kissable, in Francis' opinion.

He walked beside her, speaking once more. "You know, you are very attractive. What's your name, _princesse_?"

She laughed once, her hand gracefully touching her cheek. "I'm Dani. And I know French."

"Oh, you do?" She just kept getting better. "The language of _l'amour_…"

She giggled. "Yes, that's what I've heard."

"My name is Francis," he said. "And… _Voulez-vous venir à ma maison?_"

Instantly, her smile vanished and she slapped him across the face. A southern twang suddenly emerged in her voice as she began to scold him.

"Just what kind of girl to you think I am?" she half-yelled. "I am a lady!" She then stormed off, leaving Francis with a stinging cheek and bruised pride.

Alfred then caught up with him, laughing. "That's what you get for breaking BBH!"

Francis sighed. "You know I hate that expression."

Alfred continued laughing, and clapped a hand on Francis' shoulder. "Bros before hoes, dude. Bros before hoes."

Francis, however, had not given up.

He _would _ have her.


End file.
